


Everything You Ever

by SelanPike



Series: Moebean Saga [9]
Category: Mario & Luigi RPG (Video Games), Super Mario & Related Fandoms, Super Mario Bros. (Video Game), Super Paper Mario (Game)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-21
Updated: 2016-04-21
Packaged: 2018-06-03 16:02:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 16,885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6616822
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SelanPike/pseuds/SelanPike
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A portal to the Underwhere is briefly opened, allowing Cackletta to return to life. But after being dead for so long, can things really go back to how they were? Originally published on FF.N in 2009.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter one.

Fawful had been doing a lot of sulking as of late. After his failed attempt to absorb the Dark Star and take over the world, he'd spent several weeks just sitting in bed pouting. Eventually he decided that he really ought to get back on his feet again, but he did so with many frowns and grumbles.

Mimi had been coming around a lot lately, too. Maybe she was worried about him or, more likely, she was miffed that he kept rebuffing her attempts to cheer him up. Mimi and Fawful had met by chance one day and she'd decided quite on her own that they ought to be friends—Fawful, of course, was somewhat irked by this. However, he decided that he had too many enemies and too few allies, so he let her keep visiting because he didn't need one more person after his life.

Today, Mimi had her face pressed up against the glass of a giant test-tube set up in a side room. The tube itself was surrounded by various machines and had all sorts of cables and wires coming out of it.

"It's all fogged up," she said.

Fawful didn't respond as he went about typing on a nearby computer.

She moved her face away from the glass. "It's freezing, too! What're you keeping in here, huh?"

"It is not being the concern of you," Fawful said.

She huffed, stomping over to the computer terminal Fawful was using. She peered over the screen.

"Ugh," she said, "I can't make out what you're doing at all."

"It has much complicatedness," he said.

"Jeez," she crossed her arms and pouted for a moment. Then her face lit up. "Oh! I almost forgot. I got you something."

Fawful looked up at her as she sifted through her purse. Eventually she grinned up at him and pulled out a necklace with a cheap-looking piece of plastic on it.

"For you!"

Fawful blinked, puzzled. He took the necklace and looked at it. The piece of plastic was blue, shaped like a half-heart with jagged edges on the side where the other half would connect. The words "BEST FRIENDS" were written in indented letters on it.

"What is this being?" he asked.

"It's a friendship necklace!" she beamed, pulling out another, similar one. "See, you get that half and I keep this one."

"Why are you giving Fawful a necklace of friendship?" he asked.

"'Cuz we're totally BFFLs, duh," she shoved him a little, to emphasize the obviousness of her point.

"'Biffles'?" he looked down at the necklace, then back up at Mimi. "Fawful will not be wearing it."

"What?! But you gotta!" she shoved him again, harder this time. "I got it just for you!"

"How would it have looking for a villain of evilness to be wearing jewelry of friendship? It has absurdity!" Fawful said, not hiding his fury.

Mimi turned away, angrily toying with her curls. "Well, I GUESS that makes sense. It totally wouldn't go with any sorts of dictator-clothes I know of. But you could carry it around in like your pocket or something."

Wanting to get back to work, Fawful conceded. "Fine, Fawful will carry it."

She faced him again, smiling brightly. "You will? Aw, thanks, Fawfie!" She leaned over the terminal again. "Now will you tell me what you're doing?"

"No."

"Aw," she kicked a stray cable, then sat down on a nearby machine.

Fawful continued working in silence.

"I really don't like the new, quiet Fawful," Mimi said. "I wish you'd just cheer up already because I'm really not used to hearing you _not_ chattering away."

"You have enough speaking for the two of us," Fawful said.

"Heeey," she crossed her arms, pouting, but then decided that hey, if he wasn't going to talk much, maybe she _should_ speak enough for the two of them. It would at least drown out the sounds of the various sewer fluids sloshing about outside Fawful's shop. "You know what? Fine."

Fawful groaned. "I have fury."

She tried to think of a topic that would hold Fawful's interest. He probably wouldn't be interested in Harhall's new Fall line, nor in that new trick she'd learned to make her eyeshadow look fabulous. Hmm. Well, Nastasia had made her read a newspaper that morning, maybe he was interested in that.

"So apparently Merlon broke the universe," she said.

"If the universe had breaking we would not be in the place which is here," Fawful said.

She shook her head. "No, no, I mean it! Like, the newspaper said it. He was toying with magic and bam!—broken universe. Like, a huge hole got ripped in the world for a couple of minutes."

Fawful thought to himself that, indeed, some of his machines had read a disturbance in the fabric of space-time recently. "What had happening?"

Mimi shrugged. "Totally weird. Apparently the hole led to the Underwhere, and a couple dead people got out," she kicked her feet, looking down. "That stupid Dimentio got out, I heard. We should go beat him up."

Fawful typed a little into his machine. "Fawful does not have luckiness, so Fawful is assuming that his great mistress did not have the escaping of the afterlife?"

"Mistress?"

"I am referring to none other than the Great Cackletta, she who had the teaching of me everything I am knowing," Fawful said. He sighed a little. "As much as I am wishing it, the chances of her being among the ones with ability to escape are…"

"Umm," Mimi interrupted, "Actually, I think I saw her name on the list."

Every part of Fawful stopped. His fingers hovered over the keyboard, unable to move. His stomach twisted into a knot and stayed like that. He could barely even breathe. All he could manage to do was stammer out a weak "What."

Mimi nodded, imagining the name printed on the newspaper. "I'm almost sure of it. It said 'the Beanwitch Cackletta'. You said Cackletta, right?"

Fawful just sat there, unable to process what was being said to him. Cackletta had escaped the Underwhere. Cackletta was alive. She had been dead for over two years. Fawful had mourned her the whole time, had cried himself to sleep more times than he'd ever want to admit. She'd died. She'd died, but now she was…

She was…

Mimi was standing beside him now, putting a small hand on his shoulder.

"Fawfie?" she said. "Fawfie, are you okay?"

Fawful grabbed Mimi's hands and flew out of his chair, and before Mimi had any idea what was going on they were spinning around the room, dancing in circles around and around while Fawful smiled and laughed.

"The Great Cackletta has life~!" he sang in the most joyous tone she'd heard from him in a long time, "It is the end to all my strife~! The world all smiles upon Fawful~! And… um…," he stopped, ending the dance. "Ruu, Fawful still cannot have rhyming. But this does not matter!" Fawful started bouncing up and down. "The Great Cackletta has life! Mimi! She has life!"

"I know," Mimi said, a bit dizzy from being spun around. "I told you that."

"It is being a day of such wonderfulness!" Fawful beamed. "Where is she being? Do you have knowledge?"

"The article said they put her in jail," Mimi said, "Cuz she's a villain and all."

"Which jail?"

"The one near Toad Town, I think," Mimi said.

Fawful grinned wider and then ran to the other room. When Mimi followed, Fawful was already digging through his weapons cabinet.

"Are you gonna break her out?" Mimi asked.

"What else could Fawful be doing?" Fawful asked as he put a laser gun on his belt holster. "I cannot allow the Great Cackletta to be rotting in a jail like leftovers rot in the refrigerator of the Bowser. I must have rescuing!"

"Now, wait just a second," Mimi said, "Remember, Fawful, _you're_ supposed to be dead too. I thought you were gonna stay under the radar and let everyone keep thinking you're dead so you can surprise them later."

"If Fawful is to be sacrificing the element of surprises," Fawful holstered another laser gun, "Then Fawful gladly does it for the Great Cackletta."

"Well, if you're sure…," Mimi shrugged. "Just don't be stupid and get yourself killed or anything."

Fawful laughed. "Prisons are easy to be breaking in and out of, have no worrying."

Fawful grabbed his Headgear and ran to the other side of the room, where his hover-platform was propped up against the wall. He pulled it down and fiddled with a control panel on its side. It began to hum, and he jumped on top of it as it began to spark and float.

"Now," Fawful said, joyously manic, "Fawful goes to reunite with the Great Cackletta!"

Fawful shot out of the shop and out of the sewer pipes. He vaguely heard Mimi shout "Good luck!" behind him, but he wasn't listening anymore. All he could think about was the Great Cackletta, his master and almost-mother, sitting in that prison, locked up but oh so _alive_. He'd rescue her. He'd rescue her, and then the world would know their fury.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter two.

Cackletta leaned back, resting against the wall as she sat on her prison bed. What a ridiculous joke—escaping the figurative prison of the afterlife, only to find herself imprisoned much more literally as soon as she got out. What luck. What awful, miserable luck.

Well, things weren't all bad, at least. She looked down at her hands. Escaping the Underwhere had gained her a new physical body, just like the old one she used to have before the Mario Brothers came and before she became Bowletta. She would have preferred to receive, perhaps, a younger body, but anything was better than being a shayde.

… but, then, Fawful was a shayde now too, wasn't he? Everyone had told her he'd died. He'd tried to awaken the Dark Star, but was defeated and died. What could he have been thinking? Surely he should have known better than to toy with such things. She sighed. She tried to comfort herself, at first, by assuring herself that she hadn't seen Fawful in the Underwhere, that he might still be alive. It didn't take long for the grim realization to set in that the Underwhere was a vast, sprawling place, and it had innumerable entry points. Just because she hadn't seen him didn't mean he wasn't there. Surely right now, he was still there, looking for her, not knowing she'd escaped. And he'd just keep on looking for her, for years, all alone…

The poor little thing. Part of Cackletta wondered if she should have even come back.

In the darkness down the hall, she could hear the sound of fingers snapping, followed by a weak magical blast. She cocked her head.

"Hey," she called out, "Clown. How's your magic?"

She heard the snapping again. "Ahaha. Not so great, I'm afraid."

Cackletta tried to conjure a fireball. The guard nearest her cell tensed up at the sight of her trying to cast anything, but he relaxed when she only managed to produce a spark. "I guess it's to be expected. These bodies of ours are new; we're like babies, weak and magic-less. It'll take days, maybe weeks to absorb enough power from around us to cast anything of use." She sighed. "Oh well. I guess it doesn't matter. If we can't break out for a few weeks, we'll wait it out. We've got all the time in the world."

She didn't voice the other thing she was thinking: that it wasn't as though anyone was waiting for her anymore.

He didn't respond. She wondered if, unlike her, he did have some pressing matters to attend to.

Too bad for him, then.

Just then, she heard a loud blast in the direction of the entrance. The guards standing near her cell all stood at attention, peering down the hall at the cell block's door. More noise came: laser shots, more explosions, shouting and screaming. A high, childish laugh was under it all… a familiar laugh. But he was dead, they'd said. It couldn't have been his. An alarm sounded, its shrill ringing resounding through the hall. The guards looked at each other, at Cackletta, and at each other again. They gripped their spears and charged down the hall and through the door. It wasn't long before she heard them, too, screaming in agony, and through the now-open door she heard the laugh again.

There was no mistaking it. Those signature chortles, his evil little _Fu, ru, ru._ Those stupid, lying Toads! She should have known not to trust them.

She ran to the bars of her cell and watched the door intently. It was dark down there, and smoke was slowly filtering into the cell block from the other room. She saw Dimentio also at his bars, watching. He didn't look quite as thrilled as she, but he certainly seemed intrigued.

Finally, after all the noise had died down, there was a dull humming sound and a platform emerged from the smoke, carrying a certain beanish boy. His glasses gleamed against the dim light, his manic smile was unmistakable. She never thought she'd be so happy to see him. His platform advanced slowly and he looked back and forth at each cell, obviously trying to find her. She stuck an arm out of her cell and waved to get his attention. He perked up, gasped, and zoomed down to meet her. His smile took on a more relieved look.

"O Great Cackletta!" he said, "It is really being you!"

"Yes, it's me," she said. "Good to see you didn't get yourself killed after all."

"You really and truly, without lies or falseness, have returned to life!" he said, trying to wrap his mind around the reality of the situation.

"Yes. Yes I have," she motioned at the lock on the door. "Now, could you get me out of here?"

"I say to you yes!" he pulled out one of his lasers, and shot it at the door's lock, then at its hinges. The cell door fell to the ground with a loud CLUNK.

Cackletta stepped out of the cell. She looked up at Fawful, who was hovering high enough to be standing taller than she. He held out a hand, which she took, and he helped her up onto the platform. She noticed all at once how much he'd changed. He was tanner and stood up straight. He no longer wore the tattered old red cloak she'd given him so long ago. Even his Headgear looked to have been completely remodeled. He was—well, he wasn't taller. At least that hadn't changed.

"Is the Great Cackletta of much okayness?" he asked, noticing her thoughtful expression.

"Of course," she said, nodding, "Just tired, is all. Being dead takes it out of you. Let's go."

"Have holding on," Fawful said.

Cackletta didn't see anything to hold on to, so she took her apprentice's shoulder and braced herself. The platform hummed more loudly, as though preparing to zoom at full speed out of there, but then Dimentio spoke up.

"Ah, it looks as though you still have friends in this world, like a clam returning to shore."

Fawful stopped the platform, cocking his head to the side. He slowly brought his platform to Dimentio's cell. Dimentio smiled his empty smile up at the two of them.

"I'm almost jealous," he said.

Cackletta wondered, for a moment, if Fawful would help Dimentio out as well. Instead, Fawful slammed a fist into Dimentio's face. The depowered master of dimensions fell over, slamming onto his backside painfully. His smile didn't waver in the slightest.

"That," Fawful said, rubbing his now-sore fist, "has originating from Mimi."

Fawful didn't waste one more second. They zoomed out of the cell block. As they left, Cackletta could feel Dimentio's gaze burning into her. She could imagine him watching them go, still smiling… she tried not to shudder at the thought of it. As she emerged into the bright day, laughing in elation at her new life, her freedom, and being reunited with her henchman, part of her silently filed Dimentio away in her mind under "people to be avoided".


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter three.

Cackletta was a little taken aback when Fawful started taking her in the direction of Peach's Castle. But he asked her, in his broken sort of way, to trust her, and so she did. He touched down at the rear of the castle and led her through a cramped passage that ended in the sewers. Still trying to trust him, she followed as he led her down to a pipe, pulled the grate off, and motioned for her to go ahead.

He walked in after her and put the grate back on the pipe. She frowned at him.

"Fawful," she said, "Please don't tell me you live in the sewer."

"Fawful is living in the sewer," Fawful said.

Cackletta sighed, rubbing her temples. "I told you not to tell me that."

"Fawful has apology. But," he walked past her, and she followed him. "It does not have such badness! You will be seeing."

"How can it not be bad?" She shook her head, "Here after hearing about the Dark Star thing, I thought you'd really made it. And now you're telling me you live in the sewer, like some… some rat?"

"No one thinks to be looking for a villain of wantedness in the sewer under the castle of the pink Princess," Fawful explained. They turned a corner. "Fawful has been living here for longer than a year. None have had the suspecting!"

"Well, I guess that's almost clever," she said, "But honestly, Fawful, I don't—"

They turned again and found themselves in Fawful's shop. Cackletta's jaw dropped. When he said he lived in a sewer, she was expecting, well… a sewer. But here, in the middle of all the pipes and filth, was a bean shop, decorated in the traditional Beanish style. It was a mess, of course—there were boxes everywhere, and various things littered about the floor, but under that she saw the painstaking attention to detail that had gone into making this place.

Also, it didn't smell nearly as bad as the pipes outside.

Fawful continued walking, shoving a few boxes aside. "Fawful apologizes for the messiness. So many events have had transpiration as of late, I have had such business! Cleaning will happen soon."

"Don't—Don't worry about it," she said, gawking. "This place isn't half bad."

"Many thankings!" Fawful said, smiling brightly. "It is an honor for a toady such as Fawful to be complimented by the Great Cackletta!"

Cackletta meant to say something to him about how he needn't be so formal, but Fawful kept talking.

"Fawful is unsure whether or not to be reopening the store of bean and badge," he mused, looking around, "Now that more are knowing Fawful's face, it seems to carry risk. Perhapsing I can be turning it into a room for experiments," he started speaking in a lower voice, "I could be asking for bean-gathering assistance from Mimi…"

It was just then that a small, square-ish green girl came bouncing out from the back room.

"Fawfie!" she said, "Welcome back!"

Fawful jumped at the sound of her voice. He whirled around to face her, baring his teeth in fury. "Mimi! W-What are you doing still here in the domicile of Fawful who is me?!" he screamed.

Mimi shrugged. "I dunno, I was kinda curious about this lady you were so worked up over." Mimi walked over and leaned forward as she inspected Cackletta. "Hmmm. She's so old."

Fawful looked as though he were about to have a heart attack. "D-Do not be saying such things which are without respect and very nasty and rude! The Great Cackletta is being the greatest witch in the world and will someday rule over the world which I mentioned a moment ago!"

"Well, if you say so," Mimi took a few steps back in Fawful's direction.

"Do you not have some other place which you may be?" Fawful hissed.

"I don't really wanna go back to the mansion right now," Mimi said, "Merlee hasn't been in Flipside much lately. Being her maid is no fun when she's actually around!"

Cackletta decided to jump back in on the conversation. "You. You're a maid? Why don't you help Fawful clean some of this mess up?"

"Me? Cleaning?" Mimi laughed. "You've got to be kidding! I don't clean, okay? I have people to do that for me."

Fawful shook his head. "You have knowledge that maids are for cleaning, yes?"

"No, Fawfie, don't be silly. Maids like me are for standing around looking cute in their little maid dresses while they make lesser maids do all the work," she twirled a lock of hair in her fingers. "Normally I make my stable of cutie-pies do it, but if Merlee sees, she might pay me less…"

Cackletta sighed. Fawful made a worried face, obviously upset at Mimi's conduct in front of his newly-returned master. "D-Do not be paying any mind to the one who is Mimi," he stuttered, "She is of little importantness."

"Hey," Mimi said.

"Well, at least you've had someone to spend your time with in my absence," Cackletta said, crossing her arms. "Even if she's—" Mimi shot a glare at Cackletta, "—lazy."

"Jeez!" Mimi turned around so that she was facing only Fawful. "Can you believe this lady?"

Fawful rolled his eyes. Mimi huffed. "Oh, I see how it is. Fine then, I'll leave, but eventually you'll be like, 'aw man, I wish I hadn't been a jerk to Mimi!'" She paused, realizing that that didn't sound at all like something Fawful would say. "Um… 'ruru.'"

"Be going!" Fawful said, "I was not expecting for you to be here at this moment anyway!"

Mimi stomped a foot and turned on her heel. "Fine!" she stomped out of the store and into the pipe.

Fawful paused, remembered something, and shouted out, "Oh, and I had the punching of the one named Dimentio in your stead!"

Still sounding furious, she shouted "Thanks!" in reply.

Fawful sighed in relief at Mimi's absence, but tensed again when he remembered that Cackletta was still there. "I—I have many apologies for that, O Great Cackletta!"

"Whatever," she shrugged. "There are more important things to be worrying about."

"Yes! Like…" he looked around, "Like where I will be setting up your room of bed!"

Fawful ran into another room, presumably to clear some space. Cackletta sighed. "I was thinking about starting on our next evil plan, but I guess that's fine too…"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter four.

Everything seemed so much more vivid now. Cackletta imagined it was probably something like walking outside after being in a dark room for too long; after two years in the Underwhere, every sensation of being alive seemed better than she remembered. Colors were more vivid, sounds more pleasant. Even Fawful's rambling was more bearable now. Everyone should try this, she thought. Being dead had a way of really making one appreciate being alive.

Fawful seemed happy, as always. He was always such a happy child. Despite all his bouts of frustration at a machine that didn't work, or his fury at their enemy, during their time to themselves Fawful was always happy, easily amused. She was relieved to have her loyal toady at her side, smiling at her, praising her every move. Even though she was far from Beanbean shores now, living in a sewer, his presence made her feel like she was finally home.

It was night. All the denizens of the castle had gone to sleep, and the roofs of the castle towers were unguarded. The two of them sat on the parapets on the highest tower, looking over the Mushroom Kingdom. Under the moonless sky, the landscape was dark, illuminated here and there by houses, lamps and the like. A dull glow was visible near the horizon, from lava flows around Bowser's castle.

"All of these were belonging to Fawful," Fawful said quietly. "The castle of the Bowser which, as you may have assuming, is easy for the capture. This castle as well. All the other lands were quickly falling under the influence of Fawful."

"Why did you even bother with the Dark Star in the first place?" Cackletta asked, "Sure, if you had properly harnessed its power you'd have been invincible, but you seemed to be doing fine without it."

Fawful looked away. "That..." he brushed back his tuft of hair. "It... it was seeming like a good idea at the time, but..." he shook his head. "No, Fawful should have knowing better. Darkness is not a toy for playing with like a child playing with toy blocks. Fawful was foolish."

"Yes, you were," Cackletta leaned back, "But at least you're okay. I assume you won't make another mistake like that again."

"Yes, O Great Cackletta," Fawful said, nodding.

Cackletta sighed. "You've really improved, haven't you? I remember when the best evil plot you could come up with was kicking dust on me. Now here you are, conquering castles and spreading diseases and all."

"Fawful has worked hard since the Great Cackletta took the dirt nap of deadness," a distinct look of sorrow crossed Fawful's features. "All I have done has been for the Great Cackletta. Every thing. All was to glorify the memory of my great mistress," he sighed, "All the while, when I was spreading the Blorbs, when I was brainwashing the kingdom of Koopaness, when I was occupying the castle which is this one... all I was wanting..." his voice cracked, and he forced out a cough to try to hide it, "I wished for you to be there. I wanted the Great Cackletta to bear witness to my greatest triumph."

Cackletta was taken aback. In the back of her mind, she had acknowledged that Fawful was probably depressed about her death, but she'd allowed herself to forget about it. He'd been nothing but smiles since she got back- this was the first she'd seen of what were probably his true feelings.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be there," she said.

"N-no, do not make apology!" Fawful insisted, suddenly frantic, "You are bearing no fault! Please do not apologize to your humble toady!"

"Alright, then I'm not sorry," she crossed her arms.

"Fawful is the one who is sorry," Fawful said, "Anyway, it was not my greatest triumph. It was of much failing. Fawful is glad you did not see."

Cackletta wasn't sure what to say. She looked out upon the Mushroom Kingdom, at the domain that very nearly became Fawful's. A thought occurred to her.

"Fawful," she said, "When did you start referring to yourself in the third person?"

Fawful blinked up at her, uncomprehending. "Fawful does not know what you are speaking about."

"Nevermind," she stood up. "Anyway, I need to get to sleep. I'll never recover all my magic if I don't get any rest."

"Okay," Fawful said, also standing. "Fawful should also go do the sleeping."

Cackletta moved to step off the parapet when she heard a cracking sound under her foot. The stone under her right foot crumbled off and she lost her balance, pitching backwards off of the tower. All of a sudden there was nothing under her—no ground under her feet, nothing. Just air, and a sky above that was quickly receding.

Just as she was thinking how miserable it was that she should die so stupidly, so soon after coming back to life, she realized that she wasn't falling anymore.

She looked up at the castle tower and saw Fawful holding some sort of laserish-looking device, pointed at her. A light was coming from it- that light seemed to be holding her aloft.

He looked absolutely terrified.

He pressed something on the device and she began to float upward. Fawful, with his handy device, gently placed her down on the roof, far from any edges she might fall from again. Fawful spun the laser in his hand before holstering it and running to her. He threw his arms around her.

"You had the scaring me! I thought I was losing you for another time!"

"Thanks for that," she said. "I think I'd have been the laughing stock of the afterlife if I died like that."

"You must have more carefulness!" Fawful said.

"Yeah, yeah," she pushed him away. "Well, it all turned out okay, so let's get to bed."

"O—okay," Fawful said.

The two of them made their way to the staircase leading back down into the castle. Fawful walked ahead of her, perhaps to catch her if she should fall again. As she stepped onto the staircase, she realized something.

They were being watched.

She looked around. No, there was nobody about. Were they being watched psychically?

"O Great Cackletta?" Fawful asked, standing at the bottom of the stairwell.

"Oh, sorry," she said, rushing down the stairs. "I was just looking at the stars."

"I am enjoying to look at stars as well," Fawful said.

Cackletta followed Fawful back down to the sewer. As she walked, she concentrated. As soon as she'd built up enough magic she'd put up a shield to prevent psychics from watching them. Whoever was watching must've been putting forth a lot of effort to get past that barrier, and that sort of effort leaves traces.

She decided she'd pay their stalker a visit sometime soon.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter five.

Fawful was rearranging boxes in his bean shop when Mimi walked in.

"Hey Fawfie," she said.

"I say greetings," Fawful placed a box on top of another box. "Is not the one who is you supposed to be full of the anger at me?"

"Maybe a little, you jerk," she shrugged and sat down on one of the bean-shaped barstools. "But I thought about it and figured, hey, if the Count ever came back and wanted to hang out with me, I'd probably blow you off too."

"I will be keeping that in mind," Fawful walked over and climbed onto the counter, sitting on it.

"Besides," she said, "I gave you a friendship necklace, you know?" She held up her hand- she was wearing hers around her wrist, like a bracelet. "I can't just give you one and then never talk to you again."

Fawful cocked his head to the side, then pulled out his own necklace. "Is the necklace of biffles something which is bringing its holders together again?"

"It's supposed to be, I guess," she said.

"Fawful is intrigued," Fawful said.

"Thanks for punching Dimentio for me, by the way," she said, leaning on the counter and resting her chin on her hand. "I tried to go down to the prison to punch him myself, but the meanie was already gone, can you believe that? So it's a good thing you got him when you did."

Fawful tried to remember what he'd heard about Dimentio. "He is of much dangerousness, yes? Perhaps we should be looking out for him."

"Maybe," she sighed, "He's probably planning something no good. He always is, you know? I still wanna hurt him for hurting the Count."

"Probably he will be mad for my hitting his face," Fawful said. "I should have assisting in your hurting, perhaps."

Mimi smiled brightly. "Awesome. Does that mean you'll let me use your cool machines and stuff?"

"No," Fawful said.

"Aw," she pouted. Pausing, she looked around the room. "Hey. Where's your old lady?"

"Do not be speaking of her with such rudeness," Fawful said.

"Whatever. Where's Cackletta?"

Fawful shrugged. "She said she was wanting to go walking alone. I, who am little more than a lowly toady, did not feel privileged enough to ask where."

"You really sell yourself short," Mimi said, frowning. "You're an awesome supervillain who's almost taken over the world. I think she'd tell you where she was going if you asked."

Fawful shook his head. "It is not important for me to know."

"Yeah, okay," Mimi said.

"It is giving me time to be cleaning," Fawful said, "As much as I am happy for her company, I am also glad for the time to be getting work done."

"What, does she not let you work or anything?"

Fawful shook his head. "N-no! It is just being that, you are knowing, she has been gone for so very long, and I was thinking I would never be seeing her again, so when she is around I only wish to speak to her and help her and..."

"Ugh, you've turned yourself into her little slave," Mimi said.

"That is what Fawful always has been," Fawful replied.

"Nuh uh. All the time I've known you, you've been this cool independent villain guy," she said.

"You have not known Fawful very long," Fawful said.

"But I know the you from _now._ She only knows the you from like two years ago. The you from now isn't just some lackey," she said.

"All I have ever done was for the Great Cackletta," Fawful said, looking away. "You do not have understanding."

"Obviously not," she stood up. "Look, I guess since you've been getting so little done lately, I'll help you clean up."

"Fawful thought that maids like you are not for cleaning," Fawful said.

"Just don't tell anyone," Mimi said, "And don't expect me to do it ever again."

Fawful nodded and jumped off of the counter. "Of coursing. Come, I will be showing you where things are going."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter six.

Cackletta was glad that Fawful didn't ask her where she was going. She didn't want to worry him by letting him know that they were being watched. After all, that little bean shop of his was supposed to be a secret, and he really prided himself on that. She didn't want to break his little heart by letting him know that some psychic had figured out his clever hiding place.

Cackletta hadn't recovered enough of her magic yet to cast any sort of invisibility spells, but she did have just enough to pull together a basic perception filter. It would render her impossible to notice to anyone who didn't expect to see her—and surely, no one would expect to catch her walking right into Bowser's castle. Indeed, she walked right past the door guards, trying to hold back a laugh as they exchanged 'did you see anything?' 'no, why?' remarks. She made her way, quite leisurely, down the halls, until she found the door she was looking for. She opened and walked through a door labeled "HEAD MAGIKOOPA – KAMEK".

She found Kamek sitting in the dark, hunched over his crystal ball. As she quietly closed the door behind her, he said, "Get the light, will you?"

She hit the light switch, and he turned his chair around to face her. "I assume you were expecting me, then?" she said.

"Yeah," he shrugged, "I realized too late that you'd recovered enough to notice me. How careless of me."

"Is there a particular reason why you were spying on us?" she asked.

Kamek scoffed. "You kidding? Watching that kid is pretty much required of me by now. Every time I take my eyes off him, he goes off and does something horrible."

Cackletta grinned. "Sounds like he's been giving you a hard time."

"You don't know the half of it," Kamek said. "That kid's been a thorn in my side since the day you kicked the bucket."

"It won't get any better now that I'm back, either, I promise you," she said.

"Hm. I'm sure," somehow, he really didn't seem so sure. "So how did the afterlife treat you?"

"It wasn't an experience I'd like to go through again," she said. "Although I guess I'll have to eventually. Why, are you getting ready for when you finally croak?"

"My dear," he said, his voice oozing condescension, "I have gone face-to-face with the Darkness at the Center of the World and come out of it with little more than a fractured leg and broken glasses. I don't think I'll be dying for a long while."

"Excuse me if I don't believe you," Cackletta said.

"Ask your little toady, then. He was there. I've still got a laser burn from when the thing possessed him," Kamek said.

Cackletta took a moment to think on that. "The Darkness at the Center of the World—the immortal thing that could consume the entire universe—it awakened, and you and Fawful were there at the time?"

"You've missed a lot," Kamek said. "Two years is a long time around here. That's only a fraction of the madness that's gone on."

"I've got a lot of catching up to do, then," Cackletta paused. She wasn't sure if she should ask this from someone so very opposed to her, but she didn't want to ask Fawful and it occurred to her that he might know. "Look, Kamek... about Fawful."

"Yeah, what about him?" Kamek asked, an edge to his voice.

She paused. No, she really didn't like having to ask him this.

"When did Fawful start having night terrors?"

Kamek gave her a bemused look, as though asking for her to go on.

"He cries in his sleep," she said hesitantly, "Or screams. He even keeps a nightlight in his room now. He never had that before."

Kamek laughed. He laughed the sort of laugh that made Cackletta want to shoot lightning at him and storm out of the room, but she knew she wouldn't get an answer if she did that. So she stood there patiently, waiting for him to finish his laughing and answer the question.

"Heh," he wiped at his eye, the laughing having made him tear up a bit, "Oblivious, are you? Let me clue you in. _You died_. You're his mother figure and he'd never figured out how to take care of himself, and here you just up and died. So I'm sure he's got nightmares about that. Then he's got a bit of a guilt complex because he blames himself for your death. So I'm sure there's that, too. And then he got his head messed with by the Darkness and it showed him something really terrible. There's that. Oh, and there's being absorbed and controlled by the Dark Star, which he probably tried to use in order to quell all his nightmares about the Darkness. There's that." He waved a hand dismissively. "I'm surprised nightmares're the only thing he's got. It's a shock the kid isn't crazier than he is."

Cackletta looked downward, taking all of that in. "I didn't realize."

Kamek pushed up his glasses. "He was just whimpering in his sleep during his stay with the Koopa Troop—oh, but you wouldn't know about that, would you—and while we were hiding out from the Darkness he'd already graduated to screaming. I don't even want to know how bad it is now."

"Things aren't the same now, are they," she said. "I keep trying to tell myself that things can go back to normal now, but then I notice things like Fawful speaking in the third person—with real self-esteem—or I'll hear about some amazing thing he did that he never could have done before, or I hear him crying in his sleep... my little apprentice has changed, hasn't he?"

"You have no idea," Kamek said.

Cackletta turned away. "I'm grateful that you answered my questions, so I won't harm you for having spied on us."

"Like you even could in your state," Kamek said.

"Feh. Anyway, I'll be on my way."

"Just a moment," Kamek said, "That thing you said. About things going back to normal—you know that can't happen, and not just because Fawful's grown up a bit."

Cackletta's hand was hovering over the doorknob. She didn't move.

"Your game is over," Kamek said. "You ran out of extra lives, so to speak. You were a shayde, property of Queen Jaydes. Do you really think she'll just allow you out of her clutches?"

"I escaped," Cackletta said.

"By dumb luck. But death's a bit more tenacious, I'm afraid. Don't act like you haven't noticed. The more your magic comes back the more obvious it is."

"My energies flow a bit differently now," she said.

"You reek of death!" Kamek said, frustrated that she was skirting the issue. "You're an abomination to nature and the universe wants to be rid of you. You think it was an accident that you fell off the roof last night? The world is going to go to great lengths to end your endgame."

"I just have to be more careful," Cackletta said, "That's all."

"It won't make a bit of difference," Kamek said. "Say your goodbyes to the kid. You won't be around much longer."

"Well," she said in a tone of voice that indicated that she was quite done with this conversation. "I'll be on my way. Again, I thank you for the information, but stop spying on Fawful."

"I make no promises," Kamek said.

"Then I can't promise I won't come back and set your study on fire," she opened the door. "Goodbye."

Cackletta stormed out of the room and down the hall, her fury unnoticed by the oblivious members of the Koopa Troop. What did Kamek know, anyway? Sure, it had occurred to her that maybe her return to the world of the living might be a temporary arrangement, but she was sure she could find a way to avoid the inevitable. After all, she had to, right?

She couldn't give Fawful another thing to have nightmares about.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter seven.

That Mimi girl kept hanging around. Cackletta wasn't sure how to feel about it. She'd always worried, when Fawful was younger, that maybe his solitary villain lifestyle was bad for him and that maybe he needed some friends. So she was glad that he had finally befriended someone that seemed near his age, but at the same time, Mimi grated on Cackletta's nerves. The girl was shallow and never shut up, and really didn't seem to like Cackletta any more than Cackletta liked her.

Today had been a rainy day. Mimi, however, came over with a basket in hand and insisted that it was perfect picnic weather. She then proceeded to glare at Fawful until Fawful seemed to remember something. Fawful then excused himself and ran out.

"This is really cool, just wait," Mimi said, "Fawfie's totally awesome, you know."

"Hm."

"Totally too awesome to be a stupid henchman," Mimi grumbled.

Cackletta glared down at the girl. Fawful came running back, soaking wet. "It is indeed being weather which is perfect for picknicking!"

"But it's raining," Cackletta said.

"I say to you that it is not," Fawful said, grinning. "Come."

Fawful and Mimi ran ahead of her. They led her outside, where it indeed was no longer raining. Where once there were anvil clouds and rain, now there were only clear skies.

Fawful smiled up at the sun. "The machine of weather-manipulation is nearing completion! Sunny skies are easy for the making."

"You can control the weather now?" Cackletta asked as the two children led her down the grassy fields away from the castle and Toad Town.

"Only somewhat," Fawful replied. "Sunny skies are simple, and also is rain. Still unperfected are tornadoes and snow and such."

"Not bad," Cackletta said.

The three walked through the fields until they found a nice area of grass next to a large tree. Mimi produced a blanket from her basket and put it down in the tree's shade. Once they were settled in Mimi pulled out several sandwiches and they began to eat.

"I assume you didn't actually make these sandwiches, either," Cackletta said.

"Of course not," Mimi said. "Honestly, what is it with you and expecting me to do things?"

"If Fawful had knowing about picknicking plans, Fawful would have made something," Fawful smiled up at Cackletta, "Fawful's cooking skills have improved muchly! I will have to be cooking for the Great Cackletta soon."

"Do we even have a kitchen?" Cackletta asked.

"I will have building one," Fawful said. "Fawful keeps meaning to."

"You never offer to build a kitchen and cook for me," Mimi pouted.

"You are not being the Great Cackletta," Fawful said.

Mimi glared at Cackletta, who grinned in response.

"Well," Cackletta said, no longer feeling very threatened by Mimi, "I'd be happy to try your cooking, Fawful. You were always better at that than me."

"He's better than you at a lot of things," Mimi said under her breath.

Cackletta's fingers twitched, eager to shoot lightning at the girl. She held back, but only for Fawful's sake. She was grateful when Fawful glared at Mimi and said, "Please to be showing more respect!"

"Yes, did no one ever teach you to respect your elders?" Cackletta added.

"Pfft. When my elders are meanies like Dimentio, I don't see the point," Mimi said.

Cackletta's curiosity was piqued. She remembered that this girl apparently knew the mysterious clown that had escaped the Underwhere with her. "What's the story with that Dimentio fellow, anyway?"

"Ugh, he's totally the worst!" Mimi said, pounding her tiny fists on the ground. "He's super mean and he reads my diary and he tried to kill the Count and he totally cut the tags off my designer skirts that one time!"

Cackletta furrowed her brow. What had she been thinking, expecting anything of use from Mimi? "What I meant to say was, was there a reason why everyone was so perturbed by his return? They were fretting so much over him that everyone pretty much ignored me."

"How dare those Toads of ignorance ignore the Great Cackletta who is very much to be feared!" Fawful exclaimed.

"Look, Dimentio is totally scarier than her," Mimi said, "Much as I hate to admit it. He like, almost destroyed all worlds and stuff. She just blew up a couple buildings in some country no one cares about."

Both Fawful and Cackletta glared at her. She toyed with her hair. "Oh yeah, that's where you guys are from. Well, whatever, the point is that Dimentio and Cackletta are kind of not even on the same level."

Mimi resumed eating her sandwich. Cackletta looked to Fawful. "So, almost destroying all worlds. Big deal then, huh?"

Fawful pushed up his glasses. "Yes, Fawful has heard all about it. One who was called the Count of Bleckness was trying to use the Heart of Chaos for world-destroying, but was betrayed by Dimentio who then did bad things."

Cackletta nodded. "A lot's certainly gone on in these two years. Clowns trying to destroy all worlds, the Darkness at the Center of the World awakening..."

Fawful looked at her with a confused expression. "You are knowing about that?"

"I've got my sources," Cackletta said.

"It was a time of much badness," Fawful said. He paused, then put on an obviously-forced grin. "Oh, but the time when I was spreading the Blorbs- that was with so much more badness! Badness for the Toads, and for the brothers of Red and Green!"

"I'm sure that-" Cackletta was interrupted by the cracking of thunder overhead, and before she knew it the sky was dark again and it was raining. "... Fawful, I think your machine stopped working."

Fawful's face turned beet-red in embarrassment. "P—Please be excusing the one who is me, I w-will be returning very shortly!"

Fawful pulled up the hood on his cloak and ran off.

Mimi put her basket atop her head in a futile attempt to stay dry. "Well, it still works better than it did last time he tried it."

"It's still impressive," Cackletta admitted as lightning streaked across the sky overhead.

"Totally!" Mimi said. "Ugh, but my hair's gonna be such a mess..."

At that moment, the sky flashed bright white and there was a loud crack. The tree that had been sheltering them shuddered under the force of the lightning strike, and began to fall forward toward them. Cackletta got up, trying to get out of the way in time, but knew that she wasn't going to be fast enough. Next to her, there was a flurry of movement. Mimi seemed to be throwing something- a lot of somethings. The tree exploded into splinters. What remained of the tree, plus a multitude of red gems of some sort, fell to the ground around them. The rain stopped again.

"Jeez!" Mimi said, shaking some rainwater off of her hands, "Did you see that? We almost got squished!"

Cackletta just stood there in slack-jawed horror. This was the second time already that she'd nearly died. The second time in only a few days.

Fawful came running back, looking winded. He looked around at the devastation around them.

"Did something have happening?" he asked.

"Oh man, Fawfie, you won't believe it! Lightning hit the tree and it nearly killed us!" Mimi exclaimed, jumping up and down.

"Really?" Fawful looked over Cackletta. "Is the Great Cackletta unharmed?"

"I'm fine," Cackletta managed to say.

"I'm okay too," Mimi said. "And it was me who broke the tree up into little pieces and saved your 'Great Cackletta', you know, how about a little thanks?"

"I have thanking," Fawful said. "It is just that the Great Cackletta had a look of preturbedness. I had the worrying."

"Yeah, she does look a little pale," Mimi shrugged, "Must be freaked out by how cool I am. I don't blame her."

"Anywaying," Fawful said, "Fawful is unsure how long the weather device will be working. Perhaps it would be an idea of wiseness to return inside."

"Agreed," Cackletta said.

The three started walking back. Cackletta walked behind the two children, still a bit shaken up. Two near-death experiences so close to each other... Jaydes meant business. Cackletta had to think of something to combat this- surely this death could be postponed for longer. Surely she could make it a few more years. There had to be a way.

She noticed a few item blocks floating overhead. What had Kamek said? She'd run out of extra lives...

She reached a hand up and pushed on a block. To her relief, a green one-up mushroom popped out of the top. She smiled as she caught it, clutching it tightly. Death was easy to cheat, she thought. She should've tried this before.

She looked down at the mushroom. She froze.

It was withering in her hands. Within seconds the mushroom was little more than a tiny, dried-out husk. This thing would not protect her.

Could it really be so hopeless?

"Ugh, she's so slow," she heard Mimi say, far ahead of her.

"O Great Cackletta!" Fawful called, "We will stand here waiting, so please to be catching up!"

Cackletta tossed the spent mushroom aside. She rushed forward towards her henchman and his friend, trying her hardest not to show how much she was panicking. She couldn't let Fawful know about this. She'd find a way around it, she wasn't going to die- there was no way she could let him worry in the meantime. So she put on a fake smile as she reached them.

"Sorry," she said, "I was just taking some time to kill some butterflies."

"Such delightful nastiness," Fawful smiled, "Fawful expects nothing less from the Great Cackletta."

And so they continued back to the castle sewers, Fawful entirely unaware of his dear teacher's turmoil.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter eight.

Mimi didn't stick around much longer after they had gotten in. She made Fawful go find her an umbrella and walked down to the exit pipe.

"By the way," she said, turning back to face them before she left. "Fawful, whatever happened to that Midbus guy?"

Not recognizing the name, Cackletta looked to her toady. Fawful looked away and didn't answer Mimi's question.

Mimi shrugged. "I guess it's not important. It was just kind of fun to boss him around. Say 'hi' to him for me if you see him."

Fawful nodded, still not looking Mimi in the eye. "Y-yes."

"Thanks. See you later," Mimi turned and left.

Cackletta waited until Mimi was a safe distance away before she asked, "Who's Midbus?"

Fawful scratched his head, clearly uncomfortable. He paused, as though thinking something over, then said, "Come."

He led Cackletta into a side room. At the back of the room was a giant test tube, its glass walls all fogged over and opaque. Fawful approached a nearby computer console and typed something. "This... this is Midbus," he said.

He pressed a button. Something was pumped into the tube, and the fog on the glass cleared up. Inside the glass was a pig-like creature, turned blue by cold and encased in ice. Frosty air seemed to be shooting out of his snout, and it was quickly fogging up the newly-cleared glass. Fawful approached the tube and put a hand on it, looking despondent.

"Midbus was the loyal toady of Fawful," Fawful said. "Fawful never would have come so close to conquering the Kingdom of Mushroom without the assistance of Midbus."

"Since when have you had minions?" Cackletta asked, crossing her arms.

"Fawful had many, so very many minions," he said. "But Midbus had specialness. Fawful did not need to brainwash Midbus. There were no bribings. Midbus served Fawful willingly."

Just like Fawful did for her. She nodded. "What happened to him?"

Fawful's face took a pained expression. "Bowser would not stop interfering. Midbus had desire to fight him, but already he had been defeated by the Koopa King... I could not allow him to fight again and be beaten, but Midbus has pride and would not want Fawful to be interfering. So I tried to be helping, I tried...," Fawful looked away. "The beatings from Bowser destabilzed what I had done for making him stronger... what you are seeing here is the resulting."

"So I guess you're trying to fix him," Cackletta said. "How's it been going?"

"Progress has been made," Fawful said, "But it has such difficulty. I cannot be just defrosting him without harming him. Fawful must find a way to be reversing the icyfication."

"You'll figure it out," Cackletta said. "You always manage to do these sorts of things."

"Yes, I am sure that soon I will have success, it is just...," Fawful looked up at Cackletta, "I am not knowing if he will have forgivenness for me."

"He's your minion, of course he will," she said. "After all, how many times did I accidentally zap you or something? You never held it against me. Heck, most of the time it wasn't even accidental."

"Fawful would never hold grudges against the Great Cackletta!" Fawful said.

"So I'm sure Midbus won't hold grudges against you," Cackletta said, "If he's as good a minion as you say he is."

Fawful nodded. "He is the best! Very best! No minions have more greatness!"

Part of Cackletta wanted to say _Except maybe for you, Fawful,_ but she didn't voice that thought. She had a villainous image to keep up and all. "How close do you think you are to curing him?"

Fawful looked off to the side, twiddling his fingers. "It is being hard to say... much progress has been made, but with the Great Cackletta's return, I have been so otherwise preoccupied, and..."

"Are you saying I'm distracting you?"

Fawful shuddered at the cold tone of her voice and looked up at her with terror in his eyes. "N-n-n-no! Your l-l-loyal toady w-would never be thinking of the Great Cackletta as a d-d-d-d-distraction!"

"Good," Cackletta looked up at the tube, almost completely fogged over again, and examined what little she could see of her toady's toady. "I think I'd like you to cure him soon. I want to meet him. Properly, I mean- without him being frozen in a tube."

Fawful nodded. "Fawful will work extra hard! I will give it one hundred eighty percents!"

"Good to hear," she circled around the tube, still looking Midbus over. "I'm impressed that you've been able to get yourself a loyal follower so early in your career. He looks strong, too. Smart, getting a henchman who makes up for your shortcomings. Do you two make a good team?"

Fawful nodded, smiling. "We are a team to be fearing!"

"I wouldn't expect anything less," she ruffled his hair- what little he had- and that one act of affection made Fawful look so happy he might burst. Then she faked a yawn. "I think I'm going to go lie down for a while. Why don't you work on helping your toady, hmm?"

Fawful nodded. "Fawful will do this!" Cackletta turned and began walking to her room. Fawful called after her, "Be having a nap of peacefulness, O Great Cackletta!"

Cackletta entered her room, closing the door with a sigh. She sat down on her bed, putting her head in her hands.

He had a minion. A real one, not just brainwashed followers. He was enacting all sorts of evil schemes, he'd survived something as horrible as the Darkness at the Center of the World, he had his own base of operations, _he had a minion._

He really didn't need her anymore, did he?

Well, of course he didn't. She'd trained him not to need her. She wanted him to be able to take care of himself and continue their work when she died. It'd all been part of the plan. She knew that. She should've expected this much when she came back.

But she didn't.

In all her misery in the Underwhere, she'd comforted herself with the image of her young, loyal little toady. In her desperation to leave, she'd forgotten that he wasn't her toady anymore. He stopped being her toady the moment she died. He was a villain now- perhaps a better villain than she.

What made it all the worse was his willingness to give that up. If she let him, he would give up all of his greatness just to serve her again.

"Maybe I really shouldn't have come back," she said, her voice barely a whisper. "Maybe I should just..."

She shook her head and slapped herself. What was she doing, despairing so easily? So what if Fawful had a minion? He still needed her.

She couldn't give up yet.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter nine.

It was some days later, and Cackletta was sifting through her old things. She was glad that Fawful had kept them all this time, although some of the talismans weren't in the best of shape. But that wasn't important. What was important was that he had kept her more comprehensive magical tomes. She pulled one out, deciding to start researching ways to protect herself from the death warrant the universe had issued upon her.

She was just flipping to the second chapter when Fawful opened the door to her room.

"O Great Cackletta! Come seeing!"

Glaring up at him, she pointed a finger and shot a bolt of lightning at him.

"How many times have I told you? It's rude to walk into a woman's room without knocking."

Fawful coughed, a bit scorched but otherwise fine. "R-right. But O Great Cackletta, please come with Fawful to be seeing- I think I am being ready for the curing of Midbus!"

"Ah. That's important, then," she closed her book and laid it down on her bed before standing up.

Fawful took her hand and led her into the room where Midbus was still encased in ice in that glass tube. Fawful sat down at his computer terminal and began typing. "Fawful has run many many simulations, so I have much certainty that the curing time is at hand!"

"Good to hear," Cackletta said, looking up at the pipes above her head. Something seemed to be pumping through them.

As Fawful typed, Cackletta could hear light footsteps entering the bean shop behind them, followed by Mimi's voice. "Faaaawfie! Where're you hiding?"

"I am being here on the seat of triumph!" Fawful called out.

"'Seat of triumph'? Where the heck is...," Mimi poked her head in the doorway. "Oh, there you are." She looked around. "Ooh, something's happening."

"He's trying to revive Midbus," Cackletta explained.

"Midbus? You mean...," Mimi looked up at the tube. It was starting to defrost, leaving Midbus visible. "H-he's been in there the whole time?! That's all kinds of weird!"

"He had the frozenness," Fawful explained, typing with fervor, "But now, Midbus will have the defrosting! Behold!"

He mashed one last button, and all at once the tube filled with a warm-looking orange fluid. Steam shot out of the vents at the bottom of the tube, leaving Mimi and Cackletta coughing as it smothered them. Fawful watched on, the grin on his face not hiding his worry in the slightest. The fluid swirled in the tube, opaque, and it was impossible to see what was going on. Fawful continued watching.

"There!" he said before hitting another button.

The fluid was pumped back out of the tube, and in its place was left more steam. Fawful pressed one last button and the tube slid open. All the occupants of the room watched in hushed anticipation as the steam cleared, and Midbus's familiar form stumbled out of the tube.

Fawful jumped to his feet, ran to his minion and hugged him. Fawful was tiny compared to the hulking Midbus, and his arms didn't even begin to wrap around his piglike minion. Nevertheless, he hugged.

"L-Lord Fawful?" Midbus stuttered, looking around in a daze.

"Midbus! Oh, I have had the missing of you!" Fawful hugged even tighter, paused, then jumped back. "Oh! But you are probably of much confusion. Here I am with the hugs and the happiness but you are only now waking up."

"Muh. What happen? I was fighting Bowser. Then-"

"Th-the beatings of the Koopa King caused the blizzardification of Midbus to destabilize," Fawful explained. He looked down. "F-Fawful understands if Midbus is angry with Fawful. Midbus has had the frozenness for many weeks and came very close to death. It is all the fault of Fawful."

"I am okay now?" Midbus asked.

"Yes," Fawful said, "So I am thinking. Do you have feeling the okayness?"

Midbus nodded. "I am okay. So I am not mad."

Fawful's face lit up. Weeks and weeks worth of worry left him at that instant. "R-really and truly? You forgive Fawful?"

"Yes."

"Midbus!" Fawful hugged Midbus again. "You are a minion of bestness!"

"Was the world conquered?" Midbus asked.

"Er... that is to be saying..."

Mimi stepped forward. "Nah, that Dark Star thing was too much to handle."

"Ah," Midbus said. "Next time."

"I say to you, yes!" Fawful stepped back. "And what glory there will be next time! For, you are seeing, we will be having amazing and great assistance!" Fawful looked at Cackletta, smiling wide.

"Who is lady?" Midbus asked.

"Have respect!" Fawful said, "This is being the Great and Amazing Cackletta! The Great Cackletta raised Fawful since Fawful was just a tiny bean. She is the amazing mistress of Fawful."

Midbus cocked his head to the side. "The master of Lord Fawful?"

"Yes," Fawful said. "The master of he who is master over you." Fawful looked at Cackletta again. "Does the Great Cackletta wish to have greetings?"

Cackletta shrugged, crossing her arms. "Yes, hello."

"Sheesh, lady, you're so unfriendly," Mimi said. She looked to Midbus. "Middy! So are you totally ready for some awesome tea parties?"

Midbus blinked. He looked to Fawful, who just shrugged. He looked back at Mimi. "Yes?"

Mimi clasped her hands together. "Awesome!"

"But there will be no tea parties at the time which is now," Fawful said. "Midbus is needing the rest. Come, Midbus, I have had preparing your room."

Fawful took Midbus by the hand and dragged him off.

"... 'Lord Fawful'?" Cackletta said.

"Yep, that's that he calls him," Mimi nodded, "That's what everyone called him, you know. Even the people who weren't brainwashed," Mimi grinned up at Cackletta, "Bet no one ever talked about you like that, besides Fawfie."

Cackletta frowned and stomped off, not wanting to listen to Mimi. As she opened the door to her room, Fawful saw her from across the hall.

"Is the Great Cackletta okay?" he asked.

"Just fine," she said. "I'll be studying. Don't disturb me."

Cackletta went into her room and slammed the door shut. As she opened her tomes once again, she could hear Fawful in the other room, yelling, "What did you have saying?!" at Mimi.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter ten.

Today they'd all been dragged into one of Mimi's stupid tea parties. Merlee was out, she'd said, and they ought to make the most of it. So Mimi had dragged them to this other world, this Gloam Valley, and the four of them- Mimi, Fawful, Midbus and Cackletta- were seated around a tiny, pink little table in Merlee's mansion, drinking tea and eating little cakes. Only Fawful and Mimi properly fit the size of the table and chairs- Cackletta awkwardly had her knees against her chest, and Midbus had broken his seat altogether and was sitting upon its remains.

It was nice to be out of the bean shop, Cackletta figured, so very nice to be out of the sewers. If only it weren't for such an inane purpose. With Mimi driving the conversation, Cackletta couldn't help but let her mind wander.

"So, I was like, five minutes late, right," Mimi prattled as she refilled Fawful's teacup, "And she has to make this huge deal out of it. I mean, it's only five minutes! So I tell her my watch is off, and she's like, 'um, you're not even wearing a watch, 'k,' and I say, 'that's 'cuz it's off, duh.'"

"Fawful has very little interest in this," Fawful said before taking a sip of tea.

"We will change subject," Midbus said.

"Hey, I was just getting to the best part," Mimi said.

"Lord Fawful is not interested. We will change subject," Midbus insisted.

"Jeez," Mimi pouted for a moment, then perked up and looked to Cackletta. "Hey, Cackletta! You raised Fawfie, right? So you totally have lots of embarrassing stories you can tell us about him."

"I suppose I do," Cackletta said, staring into her teacup.

Fawful's face turned red, perhaps anticipating what stories she might tell. "Wh-wha- the Great Cackletta has much better things to be talking about than these things, we should not be wasting her time by asking!"

"No, no, I wanna know!" Mimi insisted. "C'mon, Cacky, tell all!"

"Hmm," Cackletta tilted her head to the side, then to the other side. "No, I couldn't. Not in front of his minion."

Fawful sighed in relief while Mimi made an annoyed "aww!" sound.

"By the waying," Fawful said, "Is the Great Cackletta in need of more tea?"

"No, that's okay," she said.

"She's just staring at her empty cup like a crazy person," Mimi said.

Cackletta shook her head. "I was just trying to read the tea leaves, is all."

"Ruru?" Fawful leaned over, trying to look in her cup. "Reading?"

"You can see the future in tea leaves, if you know what to look for," she explained.

Fawful looked intrigued. "Such cleverness! What is it saying?"

Cackletta put the teacup down. "Nothing important."

Nothing at all was more like it. She had no future to predict.

Fawful picked up the teacup and stared at it for a moment, then looked up at Cackletta. "The Great Cackletta has the sound of sadness in her voice."

"I'm fine," she said.

"If something is being the matter, you can tell your loyal toady," Fawful said.

"I think I just need some fresh air," Cackletta said, standing up.

Cackletta walked out of the room, but before she could get down the hall to the door, Fawful ran up to her, grabbing onto her robes.

"O Great Cackletta!" he said, "Fawful has worry for you. You have been very quiet and keep making many of the sad faces!"

"I said I'm fine," Cackletta insisted, unable to look at Fawful.

"So you are saying," he said. "Please be telling Fawful the problems. Fawful is your loyal toady. You can be trusting Fawful with anything."

Cackletta turned to face Fawful. He looked up at her, his bespectacled eyes so full of concern.

"Fawful," she said, "You can't be my minion anymore."

He continued to look up at her, bewildered and hurt.

"Wh-what?"

"I'll say it again. You can't be my minion anymore."

He was still holding her robes, and she could feel him grip the fabric tighter, his hands shaking. "I-If Fawful has done anything to offend the Great Cackletta..."

"That's not it, I-"

He fell to his knees, not letting go of her for anything. "F-Fawful has not paid enough attention to the Great Cackletta... Here the Great Cackletta has been dead and deceased for a time which was so long, and when she returned I allowed myself to be bothered with Mimi and Midbus... if you are forgiving me, Fawful will not speak to anyone else, Fawful will-"

"No, Fawful-"

He started sobbing, crying into the trim on her cloak. "Fawful has apology! Please, please be forgiving your lowly and pathetic toady! Please, please, please..."

Cackletta rolled her eyes and hit him with a lightning bolt. "Will you let me speak, already?!"

"F-Fawful apologizes," he mumbled.

"Look," she knelt down and took Fawful by the shoulders, forcing him to stand up. "I'm not angry with you. You haven't offended me."

"Th-then why...?"

She sighed. "Fawful, you've surpassed me in so many ways. You just... you don't need me anymore."

"Fawful needs you still!" he broke from her grasp and hugged her, "Fawful will always need the Great Cackletta!"

"But you don't," she said, pulling him away again so she could continue to look him in the eye. "Not really. In the time I was gone, did you just give up and die? Did you flounder about? No, you became an amazing villain. You faced all kinds of hardships and survived. You got your own minion. All of that you did without me."

Fawful sniffled. "But... what if Fawful still _wants_ the Great Cackletta around?"

"Hey, who said I was going to leave?" She forced a smile. "I just said you can't be my minion. I'll still stick around, if you want. Just now, I guess we'll be equals."

"E-equals?" he looked downward, "But... Fawful is not worthy to..."

"Yes, you are," she said, her voice strict. "And you know it."

Fawful took off his glasses, wiped his eyes, then put his glasses back on. He nodded. "Okay. Fawful will be the Great Cackletta's equal."

"So stop calling me that," she said.

"Calling you what?"

"'The Great Cackletta,'" she said, "It's just 'Cackletta', now."

He seemed to need a moment to take that in. He swallowed a lump in his throat, then said. "Fawful understands, Cackletta."

She smiled and hugged him. He hugged back. They stayed like that for a while, before she let go and stood up straight again. "I really do need some fresh air, though," she said, "Do you mind giving me a moment?"

"Of course!" Fawful said.

She turned and took a few steps, then Fawful called out to her again. She turned and saw him smiling brightly at her.

"Cackletta! We will be allies for forever, yes?"

"Yes," she said, knowing it was a lie.

"Forever and ever!" Fawful repeated.

"Yes," she lied again.

"Fawful is glad," he said.

She turned away, not able to bear looking at his happy face. She walked outside and put some distance between herself and the mansion, then sat down on the ground.

Was it really possible to die from a breaking heart, she wondered. What a way to go- death by cliché. Was this what mothers felt like when their sons left home? At least mothers got a little more time- here Fawful had grown up so young...

Oh, but time! What had she been thinking, promising Fawful that? She knew she couldn't be his ally forever- she barely knew if she'd make it back to the mansion without tripping and killing herself somehow. Forever was so far out of her grasp.

She snapped her head up, looking around. Suddenly, she felt like she was being watched again. This time, it didn't feel like a psychic presence- this was physical, someone was here. She stood up.

"Who's there?" she yelled.

A calm, vaguely familiar laugh rang out. Before her eyes, that clown Dimentio appeared.

His smile was the same as always- empty, eerie. He bowed, as though standing on a stage and addressing a crowd, and said, "So we meet again."

Against her better instincts, Cackletta didn't run.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter eleven.

The next day, Cackletta was once again sitting in bed reading. There was a knock on her door.

"Yes?" she said.

Fawful opened the door, smiling jubilantly at her. "Fawful has been informed of a place nearby where there is much bean! Would Cackletta wish to be accompanying me on this mission of bean-gathering?"

She looked at her book, then shrugged and figured it could wait an hour or so. She put the book aside and got out of bed. Both she and Fawful donned hooded cloaks as they left, so they wouldn't be recognized by anyone while they were outside of their lair.

They walked along in the bright sun, Fawful toting a little basket, empty except for a small shovel. As they walked, Fawful began to dig through his pockets.

"I am having a gift for Cackletta," Fawful said.

"Hm?" she looked at him. "What is it?"

He pulled out a cheap little necklace- a little half-heart suspended on a string. She took it.

"Uh... thanks?"

"It is a necklace of biffles," he explained, "It is to be showing that we are friends of bestness!"

She looked and, indeed, it said "BEST FRIENDS" on it. Fawful took out another necklace to show her- his was the other half of the heart. "Apparently it is something which is making its holders come back together when separated, no matter what." He looked at his necklace, not quite sure about it himself. "Or so I am hearing."

She smiled a little. "I'll make sure to keep it with me, then."

She put the necklace on, tucking it under the collar of her robes. Fawful put his away too, into his pocket.

They got to a grassy clearing, and Fawful sat down and started digging in the dirt. He was explaining to her what the beans were for when Cackletta felt a presence behind them. She turned around to see Kamek, sitting on his broom, floating there.

"I heard you were still alive," he said, "I thought I ought to see this for myself."

Fawful jumped at the sound of Kamek's voice and pulled a laser gun from his belt. He fired off three shots as he got to his feet, which Kamek dodged.

"Jeez!" Kamek said, glaring at the small Bean. "Cool it, kid, I'm not here to bother _you._ "

Fawful continued to point his laser at Kamek, grimacing. "Fawful does not wish for you to be bothering she who is Cackletta, either!"

Kamek's eyebrow raised at the fact that Fawful had addressed Cackletta without any honorific. He must've decided it wasn't important, though, because he then turned his attention to Cackletta. "I thought my crystal ball must've been lying, for a moment. You're awfully lucky to have not kicked the bucket yet."

Cackletta tried not to cringe. "Now isn't the time," she said.

"Oh? And why would-" Kamek paused, glancing at Fawful, and looked back at Cackletta with eyebrows raised. "... you haven't told him?"

"Shut it," she said.

Fawful looked back and forth between the Magikoopa and the Beanwitch, lowering his weapon. "Ruru? What has Fawful not been told?"

"You haven't told him!" Kamek cried, "I don't know whether to laugh or be disgusted."

"Or you could leave. That's an option, too," she said.

"Oh no, not now," Kamek grinned. "That kid stuck me in a tiny little cage with a bunch of other Magikoopas for days, you know that? I think after that, I deserve to give him a little bad news."

Cackletta made to throw some lightning at him, but Kamek waved his wand threateningly. "Do you really want to start a fight right now, in your condition...?"

Cackletta stopped. Kamek put his wand away, looking pleased with himself. Fawful looked more confused than ever. "What condition?" he asked, looking up at Cackletta. "Is there something being wrong?"

Cackletta looked away.

"You see, kid," Kamek said, sounding much too happy for this sort of news. "Your master there isn't long for this world. Death is breathing down her neck this very moment."

"What?" Fawful shook his head. "Fawful will not tolerate such speaking!"

"Hah, cute, he won't accept it. Sorry, but it's true. You can't just escape death like she did. Queen Jaydes does not tolerate that sort of thing. Death will find her again, and it'll find her soon. It could be any day now... or any minute now, really," Kamek said.

Fawful looked up at Cackletta. "C-Cackletta...?"

"It's... it's not as hopeless as that," Cackletta said.

"S-so, the falling off of castle, the tree...," Fawful trailed off.

"These accidents are going to keep on happening," Kamek said. "Eventually her luck's going to run out, and when that happens..."

"Cease your noisemaking!" Fawful yelled, pointing his laser at Kamek once more. "It is not being the business of you!"

Kamek chuckled. "Sure, I guess that's true. My business here is done, anyway."

"Begone!" Fawful shouted.

"I'm going, I'm going," Kamek shifted his weight, ready to fly off. "See you around, kid. And Cackletta...," he shrugged, "Nice knowing you."

Kamek waved and flew off. Fawful watched him go, angry and gripping his laser.

Cackletta knew she had to say something. "Look, Fawful..."

"You were not telling me," Fawful said, still staring into the sky where Kamek was no longer visible.

"I didn't want to worry you," she said.

"You are going to die," he said, "You are going to be dead again and leave the one who is me all alone once more and you could not have warning me?"

"I'm not going to die," she said.

"Is this why you are not wanting me as your toady?" Fawful looked at her now, tears in his eyes.

"No," she said, "I meant what I said- you really have surpassed me!"

"Fawful does not want to lose you again," Fawful said, his voice cracking.

"You're not going to!" Cackletta insisted, "I'm not going to die, Fawful. I have a plan."

"A plan?"

She nodded. "I'm going after the Beanstar again. I can wish for a longer life."

"Beanstar?" Fawful frowned. "But you would be needing to kidnap the Peach Princess, and it is being much too dangerous to-"

"No, I- I know someone, he said he knows a way around that," she said.

"Who?" Fawful asked.

"That- that's not important," she said.

"No more secrets!" Fawful stomped his foot. "Fawful is demanding to know!"

Cackletta smiled a bit. "You're demanding something of me...? I'm not quite used to that."

Fawful wasn't distracted. "Cackletta."

She sighed. "... Dimentio."

Fawful gasped, and grabbed Cackletta's cloak, pulling on it with urgency. "Cackletta! You cannot be working with him! He has little trustworthyness and has a history of killing people who he has allied with!"

"I know that," she said. "I wasn't born yesterday, you know. I've been around the block enough times to know when I'm being used."

"So why are you putting yourself in a situation of such dangerousness?" Fawful asked.

"I'll die if I don't," she said. "Sure it's risky, but it's the best chance I've got."

Fawful looked pained, but he nodded. "I have understanding. I am full of worry, but Cackletta's logic is sound, as always."

"Thank you," she said. "Apparently the Beanstar got relocated to some cave, which he found. He already knows a way to activate the Beanstar without needing Peach, but he said he needs me because there's a seal on the cave that only Beanish magic can break."

"So after you are breaking the seal, he will probably be trying to dispose of you," Fawful said.

She nodded. "I'll just have to figure something out. Stab him in the back before he can do the same, or something."

Fawful tugged on her robes again. "Fawful will come with you."

"No. It's too dangerous," she said.

"Which is why Fawful must come!" Fawful insisted, "Fawful must make sure that Cackletta is not harmed!"

"I won't let you," she said.

"You are not the boss of Fawful anymore!" Fawful shouted, "Fawful has decided to come, so Fawful will!"

Cackletta sighed, amused despite the seriousness of the discussion. "Maybe I should've waited a little longer to fire you."

"No taking back," Fawful said.

She laughed. "Well, you've survived scarier things than weird dimensional clowns. I'm sure you'll be okay."

"I say to you yes!" Fawful made his hands into fists, holding them up in his enthusiasm. "And Fawful must be protecting you, because we are allies! We are biffles!"

"Yes, I suppose we are," she pat him on the head. "We've still got two days before we're supposed to act. You can keep digging for your beans."

He nodded, then sat back down and continued digging. She watched him go about his business and listened as he continued talking about beans.

She really, really hoped that this new plan would save her.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter twelve.

Fawful and Cackletta were waiting in front of a cave on the western outskirts of the Beanbean Kingdom. It was a bit out of the way, surrounded by dark forests and such. The both of them were panting, trying to catch their breaths after running from Beanbean guards.

"It would have had much convenience," Fawful said between breaths, "If this Dimentio had the warning of us that this place is guarded."

"Absolutely," Cackletta said.

"Do you think that they will have the calling of the Peasley Prince? Or perhaps instead, the brothers of Red and Green?" Fawful asked.

"Maybe," she said. She looked around. "Where'd your friends get to?"

"Over here," said Mimi's voice. A tree wiggled a branch. "I'm the cutest tree in this forest!"

Midbus poked his head out of the Mimi-tree's foliage. "I am here also."

"Oh, good," Cackletta leaned against the mouth of the cave's entrance. "Stay quiet, then. Between Dimentio and the authorities, we might need you two for all sort of things."

"Right," Mimi-tree said. "And just for the record, I'm doing this for Fawfie and not you."

"Yes, I know," Cackletta said. "Now shut it."

"She means to be saying," Fawful said, trying to ensure that Cackletta did not anger Mimi to the point of making Mimi leave, " _Please_ have shutting it."

Mimi groaned, but did as told.

They stood there for a little while longer, Fawful and Cackletta making small talk as they waited for Dimentio to arrive. After a while he appeared before them, flipping into existence as though made of paper, smiling at the two of them.

"I see you brought your friend," he said.

"I don't do anything without him," she said. "If you don't mind."

"Oh, no," Dimentio said. "It's no bother. Ahaha."

He probably figured he could kill two birds with one stone, having the two of them here. Cackletta was glad for the fact that Mimi and Midbus had agreed to come along.

"So I assume that the seal you want broken," Cackletta put a hand to the mouth of the cave and touched an invisible barrier. The barrier flashed in shades of green upon being touched. "Is this one?"

"The very one," Dimentio said.

Cackletta prodded at the barrier, trying to find where its magic was centered at. As she did so, she said, "I wonder if they put any more of these barriers further in the cave?"

Of course, she knew they probably hadn't. These sorts of barriers took days to set up and were exhausting to put together. There was little chance that anyone would have bothered to go through the ordeal of making one of these more than once. But she didn't know if Dimentio knew that- and she hoped that, by presenting the possibility that he might still need her, he might put off trying to kill her just a bit longer.

Dimentio and Fawful stood back as she set about saying her incantations. It'd been a long time since she'd used magic of this high caliber, and it was certainly a strain on her. She'd worn as many magic talismans as she could put her hands on, and they all hummed with power as she worked her magic. It wasn't long before she finished her chants, and the magic released with a bright flash. The light died down and she took a few tentative steps forward. The barrier was gone.

"Well, then," she said. "Shall we continue?"

Dimentio nodded, but before they could walk inside, they heard the familiar sound of Luigi calling out at them: "Hey! Stop!"

Cackletta, Dimentio and Fawful all turned to see Mario and Luigi running at them a bit of a distance away.

"I have fury!" Fawful said. "The guards have indeed had calling the brothers of Red and Green who always, always, always interfere!"

"This should make things interesting," Dimentio said. "Perhaps we should have Mimi and that pig take care of them...?"

Cackletta frowned. Well, so much for catching him by surprise with them.

"Mimi! Midbus!" Fawful yelled, "Be holding off those brothers of badness! We will not be long!"

Midbus jumped from the branches, landing in front of the Mario brothers right before they reached the others. Mimi reverted back to her normal shape, before letting out her signature _Mimimi_ laugh and beginning to transform into her true form.

"Now is the hurrying time," Fawful said.

The three dashed into the cave as Mimi and Midbus did battle with the Mario brothers. The cave seemed to be a straight line- in the distance, she could see the faint green glow of the Beanstar lighting a chamber at the end of the passage. The three of them ran towards it at full speed- or, rather, Fawful and Cackletta ran. Dimentio, instead, flew, which posed a problem. He was decidedly faster than the two Beans accompanying him, and he was quickly gaining distance on them. Unwilling to allow Dimentio to get ahead of them, Fawful fired the rockets on his headgear and began to fly, himself.

Fawful was able to easily pace Dimentio, but before he could gain a lead on the evil jester, Fawful looked back and realized that he was leaving Cackletta behind. He looked again at Dimentio, who was picking up speed, at the green glow ahead of them, and again at Cackletta. He turned and zoomed toward his friend and former master, grabbing her with the intention to carry her to the Beanstar.

Dimentio looked back at them, still smiling as much as ever.

"Ahaha," he said. "This is where we part ways. Ciao."

Dimentio snapped his fingers. There was a bang, followed by a loud rumbling overhead. Cackletta looked up to see the cave ceiling cracking just ahead. Her eyes widened as she realized it was falling, and at their pace they would be right under it as it went down. Perhaps it was because of the rockets roaring so close to his ears, or because of the fact that he, now with Cackletta in tow, wasn't going to be distracted by anything- either way, Fawful didn't realize the danger. Cackletta, knowing there was no time to explain the danger and unable to stop him completely, did the only thing she could think to do. She cast a spell. The spell knocked Fawful aside, throwing him into a wall in a way that looked painful, but left him far from the collapsing section of ceiling. Cackletta herself tumbled forward, hitting the ground hard and rolling a few times from the momentum.

And then the rocks fell.

Fawful coughed, having had the wind knocked out of him. His glasses had fallen off, and he squinted, trying desperately to see.

"Ugh... what had happening?" Fawful asked. He started feeling around for his glasses. "Cackletta? Do you have knowledge of what that was?"

He found his glasses and put them back on. The first thing he saw was the huge boulder sitting where, previously, there had only been a clear path. That alone was enough to give him a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, which was made all the worse when he noticed Cackletta sticking out from under it. Gasping, he scrambled to his feet and ran to her. She was lying face-down in the dirt, the boulder crushing the lower half of her body. Only her upper abdomen, arms and head were fine, and Fawful knew that wouldn't be enough. He fell to his knees beside her, tears stinging at his eyes.

"C-Cackletta..."

Cackletta groaned and looked up at him, looking immensely pained.

Fawful shook his head. "No, no, no... we had such closeness! The Beanstar is within our grasp, how could..." He sobbed. "It cannot be ending this way..."

"F-Fawful... I-"

"Midbus!" Fawful said, "Surely, he could be lifting this rock! If Fawful goes and gets him, then-"

"I don't think that'd be enough," Cackletta said, her voice weak. "I think I'm done for."

"Th-then... then...," Fawful took a few breaths, trying his hardest to think of something. "The Beanstar! Fawful will get it, it will be-"

Fawful moved as though to get up, but Cackletta grabbed his hand and he stopped.

"Don't go," she said.

Looking at her, he knew that her game would probably already have ended by the time he got the Beanstar. Even if he could get to it in time, without Dimentio's cooperation, how would he activate it? He sat back down, holding her hand.

"We had such closeness...," he said again, resignation in his voice.

"I'm sorry, Fawful," she said. "Here you'll have to grieve for me all over again..."

"Do not have apology," Fawful said, sniffling, "Fawful... Fawful is just glad to have seen Cackletta again. Even if you had been here only a few moments Fawful would have been glad."

Despite what he was saying, Fawful still cried. Behind him, Cackletta saw the Mario Brothers run past, chasing after Dimentio. They both looked down at Cackletta and Fawful with some concern, but not enough to slow them down. She knew Fawful noticed them there; he seemed to specifically avoid looking at them. They ran away, into the distance, into that green glow, and Fawful did not bother to so much as yell an insult their way.

They didn't matter right now. Fawful would not pay them any mind.

Cackletta, with some effort, pulled the friendship necklace off of her neck and held it out to Fawful. "Here," she said. "So much for 'biffles', I guess... it won't do me much good, you should give it to someone-"

"No," he said through his tears, "Please, be keeping it. It will have ensuring that we are finding each other again."

"Fawful, you..."

"It may be very long from the time which is now," Fawful said, "But all games end. Fawful will find Cackletta again. I have promise."

As much as she tried to resist it, Cackletta found herself crying, too. They really had come so close, hadn't they? But in the end, she failed him... she failed him, but here, once again, he was so mature... He really had grown up, and she wouldn't be able to watch all of the amazing things she knew he'd someday do. As the tears flowed, she could feel the pain leaving her body, replaced only by a dull chill. It became harder for her to focus her eyes, and she wasn't sure if that was because of the crying or because death had its hand on her. She reached up, putting a hand on Fawful's face, looking him in the eyes.

"Fawful," she said. "I... I don't want to go without saying this..."

Cackletta coughed, and Fawful leaned forward in concern. "Cackletta? What is it?"

"You...," she coughed again, gasping, trying to keep going for just a moment longer. "You... you're like the son I never had..."

Fawful hugged her as best he could in her position. "Cackletta has been like a mother to Fawful! No, not like a mother- like a thing which is tens of times greater than a mother!"

Her vision faded, and she buried her face in the folds of Fawful's cloak. She could feel his chest heaving as he sobbed, clutching her tightly. Sounds, too, began to fade- first to leave her were the far-away sounds of the Mario Brothers scuffling with Dimentio, then the closer sounds of water dripping through the cave walls... everything muted itself, save for the faint sound of Fawful.

"I... I'm so proud of you, Fawful...," she managed to say.

She didn't know if he said anything in response.

 


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter thirteen.

Fawful was still sitting there, crying over Cackletta's body when Mimi and Midbus caught up with them, both of them looking a bit beaten up.

"Lord Fawful!" Midbus said, running to Fawful's side. "Are you okay?"

Fawful shook his head, sniffling. Mimi knelt down next to him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"What happened?" she asked.

He sobbed. "I...I do not... it happened with such fastness, I am thinking that Dimentio had the weakening of the ceiling, but..."

"Ugh! That stupid Dimentio!" Mimi got to her feet, clenching her fists. "Where is he?! I'll- I'll-"

In the distance, there was the sound of an explosion, followed by a second explosion, followed by Dimentio's voice screaming. Mimi huffed.

"Stupid plumbers. Leave it to them to finish him off before I get the chance to beat him up," she stomped a foot to emphasize her point, and as more explosions rocked the Beanstar chamber, she knelt down again. "Fawfie, we should probably get out of here. Are you okay to go?"

He nodded his head. "We just... we must have taking Cackletta with us."

"You sure?" Mimi said, glancing at the boulder.

"Fawful cannot be leaving her here," Fawful said.

"Alright, if you say so...," she looked over at Midbus. "You heard him, get her out from under there."

Midbus nodded, then grabbed the boulder and started to pull on it. He moved it a little, but couldn't lift it. "Miss Mimi?"

She sighed. "Jeez, none of you can get anything done without me!"

Mimi transformed herself into a copy of Midbus and, together, they lifted the boulder. Mimi looked under the rock and hesitated. "Umm... Fawfie, you sure you wanna see this?"

Fawful took off his cloak and held it out to her, looking away. "N-no. Could you... have covering her?"

Mimi nodded and took the cloak. Fawful couldn't watch; he couldn't bear to see the grievous injury that had taken Cackletta away from him once again. When he looked again, it was clear that Cackletta's injuries were too numerous to all be covered by Fawful's little cloak, but they covered the worst of it and for that he was grateful. They could hear Dimentio yelling something about taking the Mario Brothers down with him- futile, Fawful knew; he'd tried that himself. They took that as their cue to leave; surely the cave would come crashing down soon enough. They ran out into the forest, the three of them, with Midbus carrying their fallen ally.

After a while they stopped. They'd found themselves in a valley, surrounded on all sides by hills and forest. The valley itself, though, was fairly clear- very few trees were to be found. Fawful caught his breath, leaning against a rock for support.

"Let us have burying her here," Fawful said. "She... she would be glad to be resting in the Beanbean Kingdom where we are from."

Mimi nodded. She turned herself into a Monty Mole and dug a hole in the ground. She came up once she was done and changed back, frowning at her now-dirty fingernails. "Jeez, stupid dirt... okay, Midbus, toss 'er in."

"Gently," Fawful said.

Midbus did as told. Once she was in her grave, Midbus set about filling the grave with dirt again.

"Mimi," Fawful said, "Be saying something."

"Huh? Like what?"

Fawful shook his head. "Fawful is not knowing, but usually at these times, does not someone make words?"

"You mean like a eulogy?" Mimi thought about it. "Umm... Cackletta, you were an annoying old bat, you always gave me dirty looks and had terrible fashion sense...," Fawful glared at her, and she cleared her throat. " _But_ you were really important to Fawfie. You raised him into a really awesome villain and you must've been really nice to him for him to like you so much. So I guess you weren't that bad."

Fawful sniffled, kneeling down and putting a hand on the freshly-moved dirt. "Cackletta... Fawful hopes that this is to your liking. It is dark here, no flowers... you have liking for places such as this, yes?"

He paused, shifting his weight to make himself more comfortable. "This... this is preferable to Cackletta's first death, I am thinking. Now you have been given a burial of properness. Fawful can make a tombstone, may visit you...," he sobbed. "I am sorry to still be crying, Cackletta, I am trying to stop... please do not have worry for me. Fawful is glad for your return, even when it ended in such a way of badness. Fawful is stronger now, I am thinking. So please, have no worries. Be restful in your dirt nap."

"Lord Fawful," Midbus said. "Our enemies may try to find us. We should leave."

Fawful nodded. "Just... please... may Fawful have a moment alone to himself?"

"As you wish," Midbus said.

Midbus walked a distance away, up one of the hills, and waited there. Mimi followed, and the two sat in the grass as Fawful sat at the bottom of the valley, alone and quiet.

"I hope he's okay," Mimi said. "I mean, I didn't like the hag, but it must hurt having to have her die on him twice."

"Lord Fawful will be okay," Midbus said.

"How do you know?" Mimi asked.

"He is strong. Lord Fawful survived Lady Cackletta dying once. He will survive her dying again."

Mimi nodded. "I guess you're right."

The two sat there for a long while. When they first had arrived, the sun was low in the sky. After all their waiting, though, it was beginning to dip below the hills, covering the valley in shadow and seeming to set all the clouds overhead aflame. Mimi stood up.

"This is taking forever. You wanna just go, Middy? We can just hop on that floaty thing, he's got his headgear so he can go home on his own."

Midbus shook his large porcine head. "No. Midbus will wait for Lord Fawful."

Mimi sighed, sitting back down with her arms crossed. "Jeez. I guess I'll wait too..."

The sun had disappeared entirely when Fawful finally made his way up the hill, his eyes red but no longer crying. Mimi and Midbus jumped to their feet as he approached.

"Lord Fawful," Midbus said, "Are you okay now?"

"There is no time for the talking!" Fawful said, pointing to Midbus accusingly. "Much time has been wasted as it is being!"

"What're you talking about now?" Mimi asked, putting her hands on her hips.

"This world is not going to be conquering itself!" Fawful said, "We must be getting to work! Fawful failed last time when he gave it one hundred ten percents... so now, we must give it one hundred thirty percents! And if that is failing, we must give one hundred fifty percents! Do you have understanding?!"

Mimi looked to Midbus. "I think he's trying to tell us he's okay."

"Make quiet!" Fawful shouted. "Come! We are going!"

Fawful stomped off, heading in the direction of his parked hover-platform. Mimi and Midbus exchanged relieved sighs, glad at Fawful's determination. The moon was rising above them- a full, bright disk illuminating the forest. As they flew off into the night sky, even Fawful knew in his twisted little heart that he was going to be alright. It was different, this time. Last time she had died, he had been a confused little toady with nothing to his name. Now he was Lord Fawful- a feared supervillain, a nefarious schemer who had minions, a secret base and all sorts of resources. He wasn't afraid this time.

They broke through the lower canopy of clouds, heading northeast to the Mushroom Kingdom. The stars twinkled above them. Fawful wasn't naïve enough to believe that Cackletta was among those stars, looking down on him. No, the Underwhere wasn't like that. But he'd make up for the fact that she couldn't see his next amazing plots- someday, he'd get to tell her all about it.


End file.
